Tag Archives: mortgage
Mortgage Lenders Continue to Stall Foreclosure Activities
Many homeowners who are in pending foreclosure could still sigh relief although temporarily. Major home loan lenders GMAC Mortgage, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Bank of America continue to observe suspension of a huge portion of their overall foreclosure activities. This is still in line with numerous allegations filed before courts in September by borrowers who claim their foreclosures were improperly handled by the banks.
GMAC admits that its foreclosure activities have significantly slowed down because of the ‘documents mess’ allegations. However, the lender said it has started the review of thousands of its foreclosure cases. The company said it is moving ahead slowly but surely.
JPMorgan Chase last week announced plans to restart its pending foreclosure processes by the end of November. The mortgage provider said it has halted up to 127,000 foreclosure proceedings across 40 states. It added that it expects to go back to its normal speed of processing in less than four months.
For its part, Bank of America has begun resubmission of some of 102,000 pending affidavits across 23 states that are related to foreclosure. It expects the process to be completed in just several weeks. The company said it is still halting foreclosures in 27 states, where court approvals are still not required for the review of such cases.
Mortgage lenders have seized about 909,000 properties from January to October of this year, despite the delays brought about by the foreclosure freeze. They are set to repossess more than a million homes in the entire year. It is expected that such banks would strive harder to go on with their respective foreclosure activities sooner.
Analysts cite several factors for the continuous increase in foreclosures nationwide. Those include major economic woes like higher unemployment rate and lower income. They also added that consumers find it harder today to get approvals for new loans or even refinance facilities, because most lenders have further tightened their respective restrictions for borrowing applications.
The temporary halt in foreclosure activities somehow slowed down the rate of foreclosure. Consequently, the number of repossessed homes sharply declined in September. The trend is most evidently noted in typical foreclosure hotbeds like the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Illinois. The temporary freeze was not enough to significantly trim the volume of foreclosure activities in Florida, where foreclosed homes continued to increase in the month.
Check out ForeclosureDataBank.com for additional information about foreclosures.
Talking to your Mortgage Lender for a Loan Modification
Homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage and are considering applying for a loan modification to save their home from foreclosure should be aware that how you talk to your bank will make a huge difference in the final outcome of your application.
Mortgage lenders do put a lot of emphasis on the interaction they have with their borrowers. Homeowners often end up thinking that simply sending all the required documents and submitting the application is all they can do. The fact is you need to do much more if you are serious about saving your home. You need to engage your mortgage lender in a way where they will not only know about your situation but also try to expedite your application approval sooner than the timeframe they give you.
The first aspect of engaging your mortgage lender is writing a good hardship letter. You need to put in a fair amount of thought in writing this as it is the hardship letter which will inform your bank why they must consider you for a loan modification. It tells your bank about your financial situation and why it is getting tougher for you to meet your mortgage requirements. A good hardship letter can capture your banks attention and allow your application to progress further.
Just be careful not to go overboard on your hardship letter. The letter should not sound so extreme that your lender will feel you wont be able to meet even the modified mortgage payment if they approve your application.
The next step would be to complete your financial worksheet. This is the single biggest reason homeowners get denied or approved for a loan modification. You dont want to go overboard listing so many expenses and being so negative at the end of the month that even a loan modification wont help you save your home or get you out of your financial hole. You want to give the minimum payments you are paying on credit cards along with the exact car payment and current mortgage payment. For example, when it comes to expenses like your grocery bill or gasoline bill there is a little more flexibility with those numbers since your credit report does not report on these areas.
Once you have submitted your loan modification application, it is absolutely essential you follow up regularly with your bank or mortgage lender. Remember, they are talking to thousands of homeowners each day and your file could end up at the back of the pack if you do not follow up at least once a week. You need to make sure your case stays active and you are moving up the line to get your loan reviewed. Follow up in regular intervals and be courteous, each time politely inquiring if they need any information or documentation to expedite the review process.
If you are not sure about how to talk to your bank or you feel you need some assistance for your specific situation, try researching on the internet or get a guide which would not only provide you with step by step instructions on how to modify your mortgage but also give you essential tips on how to talk to your mortgage lender.